Everybody Wants To Rule The World
by SunflowersAndHoney
Summary: Something they'd come to learn was that freedom… true unadulterated freedom was never free. A between films one-shot based on Lorde's "Everybody Wants To Rule The World".


Title: Everybody Wants To Rule The World

Author: Desi

Rating: K (for strong language)

Summary: Something they'd come to learn was that freedom… true unadulterated freedom was never free. A between films one-shot based on Lorde's "Everybody Wants To Rule The World".

_A/N: I was listening to this song while my good friend told me a story of how her boyfriend had been stopped by police while he was out for a jog. So, this story came to fruition._

**Disclaimer: I don't own this characters, nor this song. I can accept that, I guess.**

* * *

_Acting on your best behavior_

_Turn your back on Mother Nature_

_Everybody wants to rule the world_

Conditions. There were always terms and conditions written in fine print that no one ever wanted to read. Some sort of Faustian deal was always in play when it came to the government. Just click 'agree', sign on the dotted line and _BAM!_: contract sealed. There goes your soul. Being a wanted man hadn't worked for him, nor his family so they made an agreement with Hobbs; they'd stop Shaw for full pardons all around. For the most part, Hobbs held up his end of the deal. They had been able to go home, but… there were conditions.

Some terms were of the obvious variety: refraining from committing any crimes, not consorting with any known criminals… basically remembering to walk on egg shells. There was a word for that: parole, right?

But then there were the conditions that weren't as clear. For example, that _am I being watched?_ feeling that always crept up, especially when the sky was dark and the neighborhood was quiet. Then there was that strange clicking noise whenever they used the house phone. Oh, and that sinking feeling whenever a police siren was heard.

"They're fucking _watching_ us, Dom." Letty huffed as she let go of the blinds she'd been peeking through.

"I know." Was his reply.

She didn't remembered much, or anything besides her name really, but she had come to learn that when his speech was monosyllabic and his eyebrows were pinched together, he was dwelling on something.

"I mean, it's really bordering on harassment."

Dom sighed. There was too much on his mind right now. He was normally a patient man, especially when it came to Letty. She needed him to be patient with her. But today, three months into this supposed freedom, he felt like a failure as a man. The LAPD truly had it out for him; they always had since he'd beaten Linder to a bloody pulp. It wasn't about him, though. It was about his family. Everyone tried their hardest to be hard-working members of society and all that came of it was that they had become victims of police harassment. The phones at 1327 were tapped, unmarked cars followed them everywhere they went and the piece of mind was nonexistent.

Letty looked at Dom, waiting for a response.

"I'll talk to Hobbs about it when I meet with him today." He prayed she wouldn't say much more on the topic; he just didn't have the energy for this to turn into a fight. Fights; those had been a nice addition to his stress. Letty was frustrated, he understood that. She couldn't remember their fifteen years together, but even worse than that, she couldn't remember her childhood, her family and friends. All she knew was Owen Shaw and what information Dom had managed to tell her.

Dom was exasperated, too. He was so deeply in love with her, and she would never know. Add that atop the fact that he and his family were basically prisoners in a city of nearly four million people and he was liable to take a tire iron to the first police cruiser he saw. The tension was building, that was for certain and he needed to let off some steam before he went insane.

Sex was out of the question; he'd never pressure Letty for it, even if she _did_ have her memories, and he would never sleep with another woman for as long as he lived. A nice run wouldn't help because he was almost certain he'd be stopped for running while ethnic. He wasn't big on going to gyms and it was his day off from the garage. He just needed to drive, but damn if he would go back to jail over a speeding violation.

Letty sensed that he was overwhelmed. She'd never get used to being so attuned to his moods and feeling them as if they were her own. Her body turned from the window and moments later she found herself wrapping her arms around his waist, her head tucking perfectly under his chin. Dom hesitated for a moment before he let his body relax. He kissed the top of her head and encircled his arms around her petite frame.

"I'm trying, Letty. Trust me."

"I do trust you, Dom. That's what scares me."

* * *

"Hobbs, this has to stop." Was the first thing Dom said.

"What has to stop?"

"There are cops watching my family, day and night. We can't go to the grocery store without feeling like there are targets on our backs."

"Look, Dom, yes, you all were pardoned. Technically in the eyes of the law, it's just like having an excused note for PE."

Dom shook his head, his jaw clenching as he sat back in a chair in Hobbs' office. Just being in a federal building gave him fucking hives. "Then what was the purpose of the pardon? They gave us a free pass to come back to the States so that they could keep a closer eye on us?"

Hobbs looked as if he had a lot on his mind, too. "Toretto, your problem is that you're too good at what you do. I've been under a lot of pressure from my boss about doing something with you."

"Like what?"

"Think quid pro quo."

Dom's eyebrows furrowed. He put two and two together. "Or blackmail?"

"You always talk about how important family is. This will help your family."

"Or hurt them! We can't pull anymore jobs. My family can't plan anymore funerals, Hobbs. We lost Jesse and Vince. We _just_ lost Gisele! We can't lose anyone else."

"Just think about it, Dom. Maybe they'll back off a little if you do this for them."

Dom couldn't believe his ears. This is why he didn't trust cops. He knew this wasn't coming form Hobbs, but the pang of betrayal was still strong.

"I'll take my chances being followed until a new criminal does something idiotic." Dom stood from his seat and took his leave with Hobbs calling after him.

* * *

Dom lie on his bed with one arm behind his head and the other covering his eyes. He didn't know how long he'd been there, but he didn't care.

A light knock came at his door, followed by the creak of the old hinges opening and closing. "So?" Letty's voice floated to him from the doorway. "How did things go with Hobbs?"

"He basically said that we either pull more jobs for the Feds or we keep being followed."

Letty sighed and he heard her feet pad across the room. The bed dipped and the two clunks sounded; no doubt her dropping her combat boots to the floor. She surprised him by curling up beside him and just laying there. For another hour, they were silent, both trying to sort out their feelings. Something they'd come to learn was that freedom… true, unadulterated freedom was never free.

"So is your plan to hide out in here forever?"

Dom chuckled. "That's the plan."

"Well then, I'll stay here, too." She cuddled closer to Dom.

There were always terms and conditions written in fine print that no one ever wanted to read, but in that moment, with Letty in his arms, he knew he wasn't in this alone. The fact that someone who barely remembered him chose to stand by him when he almost gave up, made him feel like less of a failure. He could feel her strength as if it were his own. That was what he needed to remind him why made every move he did.

_There's a room where the light won't find you_

_Holding hands while the walls come tumbling down_

_When they do, I'll be right behind you_

_So glad we almost made it_

_So sad we had to fade it_

_Everybody wants to rule the world_

_**Fin.**_


End file.
